The invention relates to a magazine for providing a supply of and dispensing angle iron or the like. The term "angle irons" as used in the ensuing specification and claims is intended to mean angle irons, rails and like elongated plane-surface construction members (which may be bent into tubes after cutting and punching).
The invention relates to apparatus for providing a supply of angle irons which minimizes the floor space that is required, and can provide for automatic feed of the angle irons to automatic or manual structures for acting thereon (such as shown in parent application Ser. No. 795,088 filed May 9, 1977, and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,167). The apparatus according to the invention includes a magazine with a pair of side walls and a bottom wall, and means for pivotally mounting the magazine from a first operating position (wherein the side walls are generally vertical and a vertical stack of angle irons is provided), to a second loading position (wherein the side walls are generally horizontal). Also, means are provided for moving the angle irons upwardly so that the top angle iron in the vertical stack is always substantially at the same vertical level as the angle irons are removed from the top of the stack one by one. Such upwardly moving means may comprise at least one linearly reciprocal arm and spring means in operative engagement with the arm for biasing the arm upwardly when the magazine is in the first position thereof. Power means may be provided for pivoting the magazine about the pivotal mount thereof, and an ejection cylinder or like means is provided for pushing the top angle iron from the vertical stack off of the stack when the magazine is disposed in its first position.
When utilizing the magazine according to the present invention, one merely moves the magazine to the second, loading position, whereby easy loading of the magazine may be effected, and then moves it to the first, operating position whereat the angle irons are provided in a vertical stack. This saves floor space while still allowing ready loading of the magazine with the angle irons, which angle irons may be difficult to manually load if the magazine remains in a vertical position.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide improved apparatus for providing a supply of angle irons and/or dispensing them one by one. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.